Lost in the Shadows
by KuroRoy
Summary: He had accepted Death fully, but instead, his chosen road had lead him down to Darkness. Forced to work for Father, Roy Mustang lost everything...even his own memories. But one person hasn't given up on him yet...Extreme Dark Angst/Insanity.
1. Pride's Shadows

**If you clicked that link that said "Lost in the Shadows", then you must have prepared yourself for some dark angst/insanity. You have been warned. Content include: Extreme angst (don't blame me if you are depressed for the entire day), tragedy, some forms of gore and torture, one enraged Fullmetal Alchemist, and a mentally disturbed EVIL Roy.  
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**As I am a writer of good characters turning evil...**

**Setting: Around the team Ling became Greed and before Al and Ed go to Briggs. Remember, this is AU so there are different plots in the story.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. If I did, it would be called Flame Alchemist. Or Ling Yao.**

Sidenote: Reread it for fluency and corrected spelling/grammar mistakes.

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Pride's Shadows**

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The last breaths of his life hurt; his heart, starved from oxygen and filled with panic, beat heavily in his chest. His mouth opened and shut, striving for air, filling his badly damaged lungs with whatever air it could.

It was getting louder now. Despite the desperate cries of his subordinates, he knew he had little time left.

_Babump...babump. _It was all he heard; his own heart overwhelming all five of his senses, forcing him to await his own death.

Another tortured breath. Just how many more did he have left? Death should have taken him long ago; taken him to deepest realms of hell as punishment for failing his comrades. He, Roy Mustang, proud protector of his subordinates and colonel of them all, had failed in his duties.

_"No, Colonel!" _But a familiar voice. Who was it? It hardly mattered now; he was ready to accept Death's embrace. "_COLONEL BASTARD, DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME!"_

His dark world was shaking; why couldn't they just leave him be?

_"Leave him alone, Edward-kun." _Hands were pried off of him and someone lifted his head into the air. He kept his eyes closed; whoever it was wasn't going to discern him from his chosen path. He would accept Death to its fullest. _"Stop struggling, Edward-kun. Greed, I want you to hold down Edward and keep him from interrupting the process. Envy, take the two prisoners down to the prison cells. They will be useful later on."_

_"Awww, but I wanted to stay to watch the fun!"_

_"Go now, Envy." _There were sounds of people shuffling all around him. How could he still hear them? Why hadn't Death claim him?

Someone held down his hands and feet, pinning him to the ground with brute strength. _"Now, it's only fair that you replace my dear child since you were the one who burned him to death. Besides, you were becoming rather troublesome of the sorts." _That voice...who was it? It was cold and emotionless; full of power and authority. _"Don't worry, Roy Mustang. You will still be a sacrifice when the time calls for it."_

A fraction of a moment passed, and suddenly something sharp pierced him in the side. He dimly heard someone's desperate scream before his body was overtaken by the excruciating pain he was so familiar with now.

_"NOOOOO! Colonel! Colonel, can you hear me?" _

"Argh!" It took almost all of his willpower to keep from screaming in pain. His body twisted in agony and his heart beat even louder than before. The pressure in his chest seemed to overwhelm him, destroying all of his senses and replacing them with something else.

_"Colonel!" _One last desperate cry reached him. He finally recognized the voice...Fullmetal? What was he doing here? Suddenly, he began fighting that abnormal feeling that had invaded his body.

But it was too late. Slowly, he felt all of his willpower being sucked away. Fullmetal's voice no longer reached him. It wasn't Death that awaited him at the end of the road...but Darkness.

* * *

Envy groaned with discontent as he dragged the two prisoners down the city sewer. That Roy Mustang had burned Lust to death and he had wished to see the pathetic human being thrown in agony and pain. He chuckled at the thought of the Flame Alchemist pleading mercy from him; it was almost good enough to replace Lust's lowly friendship.

Heymans Breda looked up blearily at his surroundings as the homunculous chuckled. He sighed and let his head drop down on his chest again. It didn't matter where he was going now; he had failed to protect his Colonel and now he was dead.

Breda regretted talking the Colonel into accepting this mission. If he had known this was all a trap set-up by their own Fuhrer, he would have avoided the consequences long ago.

Riza Hawkeye, however, had different opinions. Drugged to the point that she couldn't even move, she had fought to the very last moment. During their investigation of the city sewers, they had been attacked by dozens of horrible disfigured monsters. Mustang did his best to protect everyone, but they lost most of their men.

Then their Fuhrer came. Not even given a chance to react, Mustang was immediately disabled by King Bradley's double swords and taken prisoner by the Fuhrer.

"At least I tried..." Breda murmured besides her. "At least I tried..."

Hawkeye wished she could pat the Second Lieutenant as a way of comfort, but both her hands and feet were tied securely.

"I didn't know they had tortured him so much..." Breda continued.

Hawkeye grimaced. She had wished not to be reminded again of the Colonel's state when she had seen him. After defeating the Chimeras (as Roy had told her) somehow, she and Breda had moved on to find their Colonel.

Instead, they had walked right into a trap. The homunculous called Envy tied them up, tortured them, then thrown them into a cell for days.

They were almost sure that their Colonel was dead until the Fullmetal Alchemist broke in.

"Looks like Edward's efforts were wasted," Breda said with a weak chuckle.

Hawkeye closed her eyes, still unable to think clearly due to the drugs. "Indeed...hopefully, our Colonel will still be alive..."

"If we somehow escape," Breda stated hollowly.

"Shut up, humans." Envy tightened his hold on the Colonel's subordinates.

However, those were unnecessary words. They had both failed their mission and there seemed to be no chance of escaping. Even if they escaped, how would they face the military? Even more...

Roy Mustang was most likely dead. They would hang their heads in shame for the rest of their life if they survived.

A long silence fell between Breda and Hawkeye as they both waited Fate's arrival.

* * *

"COLONEL!" Edward screamed. He swore loudly and struggled against Greed's grasp on both of his arms as his Colonel twisted in pain in front of him. "Dammit, Ling, let go!"

"I'm Greed," the homunculous sneered at him. "And no."

Suddenly, the horrible spasms stopped. Mustang sank to the ground, defeated, red static dancing across his body as the philosopher's stone settled in him.

"It is complete." Father stepped back, a satisfied look on his usually impassive face. "Get up, Pride."

"P...Pride?" Edward's breath caught in his throat. A cold feeling slowly crept into his heart.

However, someone else was already questioning the name. "Pride?" Mustang had awoken, staring at Father with a apprehensive look in his eyes. "Who's Pride?"

Father frowned. Something wasn't right. He was sure he had injected the homunculous' spirit into the Flame Alchemist through the philosopher's stone. How come his child wasn't responding. "Pride, come to your senses."

"I'm-I'm Pride?" Mustang looked down on himself, still dazed.

Edward hissed through his teeth, his heart lurching at seeing his Colonel in such a state. "Colonel! Colonel, do you recognize me?"

His words were ignored as Mustang continued to stare at his own hands, mumbling to himself. "I'm Pride...? Who am...I? Pride?"

"Yes, my dear child, you're Pride. I am your Father." The lead homunculous began walking towards Mustang.

As Father neared Mustang, the Colonel shrieked in fright, scrambling on all fours towards the safety of the wall behind him. "Who are you? Don't come near me!"

Father spread his arms wide, greeting Mustang with a motherly look. "I am your Father, Pride. You belong to me-"

He was interrupted by an enraged shout from the Fullmetal Alchemist. "SHUT up!" Edward roared. "Don't listen to him, Colonel! He's evil! You're Roy - Roy Mustang!" He bit back a gasp as Mustang turned to look at him.

"Roy...Mustang?" his formal Colonel questioned, staring directly at Edward. Edward felt his blood ran cold as he tried turning away from Mustang's red eyes, transfixed by the dozens of souls floating past the Colonel's blank look.

Father grunted his displeasure at Edward's outburst, waving a hand at Greed. The homunculous grinned in reply and covered Edward's mouth with a steel hand.

The doors looming before them suddenly creaked open slowly and a familiar figured appeared in the doorway. "Something wrong with him, Father?" King Bradley entered the room, wiping blood off his swords with a clean cloth. "I thought you were letting him be the host of Pride."

"I injected him with Pride's spirit, but somehow, something went wrong," Father replied. "He doesn't recognize me and has completely forgotten who he was." He continued to walk towards Mustang, finally getting close enough to the ex-colonel to knock him out with a swift blow of his hand.

"Hmmm." Bradley frowned at his Father's reply, pondering on what had exactly happened during Mustang's transformation. However though, his thinking was short-lived.

"Bradley!" Even though Greed's hand was covered over Edward's mouth, his scream of rage was still audible. "What did you do, you fake bastard!"

"Hm?" The Fuhrer raised an amused eyebrow at the Fullmetal Alchemist. "He was too big of a threat to us. The simplest way was to disable him and make him a homunculous until the promised day."

Edward glared at Bradley, his eyes full of hate and scorn. His hands shook besides him and he briefly wondered naively how such a cruel leader could have ever taken the position of Fuhrer. "How dare you..." he hissed loudly. "How dare you-mmph!"

Greed tossed Edward over his shoulder, interrupting him in the middle of the sentence. "Now, now, I'll take you outside this place where you can calm down, alright kid?" He grinned wildly at Edward and walked out of the place as the Alchemist began pounding his back angrily.

As their voices faded into the hallway, Father turned to Bradley. "I want you to take Pride to a prison cell. Have Greed watch over him until he wakes up. Tell Greed to notify me when he does, there's some things I'll need to take care of."

"Understood, Father." Bradley bent to pick up Mustang.

"Also, I don't want any contact between Pride and the Elric Brothers until he is stable. We can take advantage of the fact that he lost his memory."

Bradley exited through the large doors, leaving Father alone in the room.

* * *

He had a horrible headache. Shaky hands reached up to rub his neck, wincing as he felt a bruise behind his mass of hair. How'd he get this? He didn't even remember getting hurt...but...

His eyes widened with fear as he recalled the blond, old man that had walked up to him. Maybe that old man had hit him...

"Hey." The sound of another human voice startled him. He barely stifled his own gasp.

A man with black clothes and a tied-up ponytail uncurled from his position on the ground and walked towards him. "You awake, Pride?"

Pride. They had called him that name again. It sounded so familiar and tempting; yet he couldn't bring himself to fully accept the identity. Something held him back...

"Yo, Pride! I asked if you were awake!" The man was staring at him through the black bars.

He shrank back at the lethal tone in the man's voice, keeping a wary gaze on the dark-clothed man.

Greed sighed. Pride was supposed to respond, yet it seemed that the old spirit in the host retained control of the body. It was like Ling and him; they both were spirits in the body, but they got along decently well and switched bodies when needed to. Except...where was Pride in Roy Mustang?

The homunculous raised a hand, breaking the jail door open. Roy took cover in the corner, one hand raised in front of his face for protection.

"Don't worry, kid," Greed said. "I won't hurt ya. Just going to tell you who you are."

"Who...I am?" Roy gazed at the homunculous in a wondrous manner.

Greed bit back a laugh. He almost pitied the Flame Alchemist. The former wide-feared and respected Colonel had been reduced to such a sad state. "Alright, listen up, kid. Your name is Pride, your Father is that old geezer, and I'm your brother. You work for that old geezer 'cause he gave you life. That's all."

"The scary old man?"

Greed roared with laughter. "Yeah, that scary old man!"

"Greed, stop making jokes about me. I thought I told you to let me know when he woke up."

Greed swallowed nervously as he spotted the lead homunculous walk down the stairs towards him. "He just woke up, Father. He acts so much like a little kid."

"Then the only thing we need to do is to wake up the feral instincts in him. Pride is a horribly arrogant spirit that had been part of me. I suspect that somehow Roy Mustang's spirit and Pride's own spirit have combined, losing their memories in the process." Father waved behind him.

Gluttony came stumbling in, grinning eagerly as he carried a Chimera cage in each hand. "I brought what you asked, Fffaatthhheerr! May I eat now?" He set down the cages by Father and patted his stomach.

"Good work, Gluttony. Yes, you may eat now."

"Itadakimasu! Bye bye!" Gluttony disappeared up the stairs.

Once the fat homunculous had gone, Greed eyed the growling Chimeras in their cages. "Are you seriously thinking of doing that?"

"Greed, open the cages and let the Chimeras inside Pride's cage," Father ordered, cutting through Greed's question.

Greed sighed, picking up the cages and setting them in front of Roy's prison cell. "Time for a little fun, kid." He let the Chimeras out, guiding them into Roy's cage with a steeled hand. Then he shut Roy's prison door forcefully, locking it with a key from his pocket.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then the Chimeras lunged at Roy, growling viciously.

Roy yelped with pain as the first one latched itself onto his arm. The second tore wildly at his leg, ripping off pieces of skin and muscle as it did so. Although the wounds healed itself, the ex-Colonel continued to scream with pain.

Suddenly, he stiffened, his eyes diluting in his face and his panicked look slowly faded away to be replaced by a savage one. The shadows behind Roy seemed to fade to life, exposing red eyes and glimmering teeth. Within seconds, both Chimeras were dead by his feet, pierced clean through by two blades of Roy's shadow.

"Good work, Pride." Father sounded pleased at Roy's progress.

Roy stared at his shadows, puzzled but awed at the same time. Those scary things had harmed him and somehow, he had killed him with his own shadow. He smiled to himself at the old man's praise. It was almost as if he craved it; that small compliment from that old man.

"Do you mind if I ask you to eliminate more of them?" Father walked up to Roy, but this time, the ex-Colonel didn't coward back.

"...I think I'll like it."

"Good. We'll start with Section B tomorrow. For now, I'll have you rest in your cell. I'll come by tomorrow, then we'll start."

Roy nodded at him through the bars. "I'm...Pride, right?"

Father almost smiled. "Of course you are, my dear child. Now get a good night rest."

Greed followed Father up the stairs, leaving Roy alone in his prison cell.

* * *

_"Ugh." He stood alone in front of dozens of corridors. Each corridors were mirror-like, reflecting his own image back at him as he passed through them. _

_He didn't know how long he had been walking, but it seemed days to him now. _

_Who was he? He was transfixed by his own image as he passed by each corridor. A dark-haired man with sharp red eyes glared back at him every time. Why did that image seem so familiar to him?_

_Several times, he thought he saw someone else's image in the mirror. One time, he was sure he saw a golden-haired and eyed boy. He also imagined a voice screaming "COLONEL!" at him._

_And that other image. Some blond girl that gazed at him with concern. But he was sure these were mere fantasies; this small world of mirrors and corridors had made it up to taunt him._

_Wasn't Pride his name? Wasn't he working for that old man he called Father? _

_He **liked **to kill. He enjoyed manipulating his dark shadows, forming sharp, gleaming teeth and sending those monsters their doom. _

_But he always ended up back here._

_But...regret...it was the word that was whispered to him over the wind...regret...like a soft whisper...a hateful reminder. _

"Pride!"

_But why the hell was it REGRET every time?_

"Pride!" Greed formed a fist and punched the ex-Colonel, flat out of patience.

Roy shot up, his shadows already forming behind him as he got ready to defend himself from whatever threat there might be. When he saw Greed, he visibly relaxed. "Don't punch me like that, Greed. You might end up regretting it someday."

Greed laughed him off, smashing his fists together in a display of power. "Getting arrogant already, are we, Pride? No, you amateur, I won't be killed by you. Anyways, Father wants you to find him right now. He's going to give you your first real assignment."

Roy pushed Greed aside, walking up the stairs to find his Father. Two weeks had passed since he was first given the job of disposing runaway Chimeras, and he fully enjoyed the job.

Several times, Envy, his other brother, had came along and told him how much more fun humans were to kill.

_"They beg for mercy," the homunculous told him. "They're wonderful to kill. It's like you hold their life in your hands. Squeeze them, and they squeal. Break them apart, and they scream. Give them the choice of kill or survive, and they kill. Humans are so selfish and stupid, it's ridiculous."_

_Roy said nothing in reply as he stabbed another Chimera with his shadow. _

_Envy leaned in close to him, a savage smile upon his face. "And best of all, make them succumb to their desires. They talk about this shit about protecting others, but they always end up being selfish to protect themselves."_

_At this, Roy felt an unbidden rage rise up in him, and before he knew it, he had stabbed Envy through the stomach. The homunculous scowled at him as Roy quickly removed his shadow, apologizing to his brother._

_"Humans are pathetic. Just remember that as you kill them. Worthless creatures that filthy our Planet." With that, Envy had left him._

"Ah, Pride. You're here." Father looked up from the masses of papers on his desk. "It's time for the last bloody mark. I want you to go to Briggs, in the North, and start a war there. You know what to do."

Roy nodded, acknowledging his Father's words with eagerness. "I know what to do, Father."

"Good. It will be the last of the Transmutation Circle that I talked to you about last time. Finish this, and we will rule the world together."

Roy walked away, trying to find satisfaction in his Father's words, but found nothing than the usual sense of puzzlement.

* * *

_"The Rule of Briggs: The survival of the fittest." _That had been Olivia Armstrong's first said rule to the Elric Brothers.

Following the day their Colonel had been made into a homunculous, Bradley had sadly announced to the military that Roy Mustang, along with two of his subordinates, Riza Hawkeye and Heymans Breda, was confirmed MIA (Missing in action) in a mission and was most likely KIA (Killed in Acti

The Elric Brothers, however, knew the truth, but said nothing as Bradley had cautioned them about his hold on Winry. It was either spread meaningless rumors and end up losing one of their most precious childhood friends, or stay silent. They chose the latter.

Edward had informed his brother on what had happened, shocking Al and making his brother wish he had been there. Al scolded Edward for his foolishness, but regretted that he had been studying in the library on that day.

They ended up chasing the Panda Girl, May Chang, all the way to North Amestris. And finding themselves in Briggs.

Vato Falman, Roy Mustang's 2nd Lieutenant, had been shocked by the news the Elric Brothers delivered. Their Colonel...defeated. And First Lieutenant and his buddy, Breda, gone.

News of May Chang along with the run-away criminal, Scar, soon reached the Northern Wall of Briggs, sending the Fort into a state of frenzied work. Ed and Al were sent a couple of times to find the criminal, but they always ended up failing.

There were small alerts here and there, but nothing too big as of yet.

But as they woke up one day to another cold and tiring day, the alarm rang throughout the Fort. As Ed and Al rushed outside to the balcony of the Northern Wall, they were greeted with a grim sight.

Thousands of Briggs' long time enemy, the Drachmans, stood lined up before the Fort. There were tanks and missiles and other dangerous military weapons at the ready. The first defense of the Fort had been pierced already; an unknown threat had entered the Northern Wall of Briggs.

"We gotta do something, Al!" Edward slammed his hand in a transmutation, forming a sword on his automail. He ran to meet the other Briggs' soldier that had lined already lined up in quick counter to the Drachmans' attack.

"What I'm confused about," Olivia Armstrong told Edward. "Is that I get reports that the Drachmans haven't moved at all. But all our front line soldiers have been killed already. Check the situation for me, Alchemist."

"In front of the fort?" Ed questioned.

"Yes, and you better hurry it up!" the Brigadier General snapped in reply.

Al and Edward rushed to the elevator, waiting impatiently as the slow device carried them down the fort. As the Elric Brothers stepped off the elevator, they were met with a grim sight. All of the lower defensive soldiers had been brutally stabbed through the chest and murdered. There were no survivors in sight.

A familiar feeling crept up Edward's spine, and he barely dodged a spike of a shadow that erupted from the floor next to him. He gasped as he recognized the familiar red eyes and sharp teeth; Selim Bradley had utilized them well during his small fight with Edward.

"Pride? He's alive?" Edward breathed to himself, blocking a gleaming teeth with his automail.

"Very much indeed."

Al covered his mouth in a gasp as Edward suddenly remembered who the new Pride was. A familiar figure blurred into view as Edward took a defensive stance.

"Colonel..." Al said in a quiet whisper of horror.

"Did you say something?" A line of shadow shot out from Pride's shadow, curling around Al's body and lifting him into the air.

"Put him down, dammit!"

"Put him down?" As Pride walked closer to the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward finally got a good luck at him.

He tried convincing himself that the homunculous in front of him was not his former Colonel, but there was no such luck. Pretending that it was Envy in disguise made no difference.

His Colonel looked different now. His once dark and intelligent eyes had been replaced by crimson, savage ones. The impassive and calm mask that Roy Mustang had prided himself on wearing in front of his subordinates now clearly showed all his emotions.

Right now, it was bloodthirsty, his mouth twisted into a sardonic smile, and his eyes danced with flames.

Stunned by this new development, Edward barely had time to defend himself as another strand of Pride's shadow lifted him up next to his brother. Edward stared at his former Colonel sadly as he made no effort to resist at all.

"Well now?" Pride said. "How would you like to die?"

Edward's hand tightened next to him.

"Saying nothing at all? You aren't making this fun at all. The other humans were screaming for mercy." His Colonel almost sounded like himself now. Cold and collected, but this time, instead of an order, it was a threat.

He couldn't give up hope; he was sure his former Colonel Bastard was in there. Some stupid homunculous might have overtaken his Colonel's body, but...

Pride's hold around his neck seemed to tighten. "Well then, human. Say your goodbyes."

* * *

**A/N: I know everything hasn't been made clear yet, but it'll piece together soon. Also, I do keep my characters as in character as possible, and I assure you that Roy is not OoC.  
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**-KuroRoy**


	2. Pride's Weakness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, Roy would've become a homunculous by now.  
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_(Sidenote: Thank you, **Toushiro-chan, Mayo2198, Horselvr4evr123, **and** Fliptoflop **for reviewing. It really makes a big difference; I thank you kindly for your encouraging words.)_

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**Chapter 2 - Pride's Weakness**

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_And it was the darkness that foreshadowed upon him, the pain that gripped his heart, and the sorrow that overcame him. _

_Why must it be so...? _

_The evil that overtook him, the agony that turned his soul. Not love, but hate…Sorrow, but never joy…_

_And he stood in the darkest of days, alone. Alone as one to face the world, alone as one to face the betrayal…_

_For he knew himself no more; nothing he was, a wisp of wind that dilapidated in the air…

* * *

_He tightened his shadow around the golden-haired boy's body as he formed sharp teeth within the curl of another shadow. Just like all the others he had killed, he would devour them and they would become part of his soul, soon to be forgotten and lost forever.

"Colonel!" The boy was crying now, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

He hesitated, his shadow hovering inches away from the human's face. It wasn't like he felt anything in his corrupted heart; but there was something about those tears...the way it dripped coldly onto a red eye in his shadow.

He decided he was being foolish and moved quickly to finish his job. Just as the sharp teeth opened around the human's body, the boy stiffened, seeming to break mentally.

"Don't do this," he screamed. "I know you're in there...just please stop..."

He frowned, his shadow still inches away from the boy's fragile body. "Be quiet and accept your death, human," he said coldly, irritated at the boy's outburst.

"No..." The human was shaking now, his eyes still closed. "NOO! Colonel, stop this, _COLONEL!" _

He paused, the human's shout echoing through him...it sounded familiar...and it hurt. Something suddenly passed through his heart; he gasped and let his guard down as he reached one hand to his chest, clutching his heart. What was this feeling? It was so new to him...it was as if his own soul was tearing apart within him.

"Dammit..." He had better finish this quickly before this new feeling corrupted his work. With a hard struggle, he began to close his shadow's teeth around the still-screaming human. However, the process seemed slow to him, and suddenly searing pain burst through his leg, making him drop to one knee.

"Colonel Roy Mustang." An impassive and authoritative voice reached his ears.

He instantly withdrew his shadows, turning around rapidly to face the new threat. The newcomer was a stern human with long, blond hair and piercing blue eyes. She seemed familiar to him somehow...and her voice reminded him of Father's own voice. Cold and commanding.

He reached down and pulled out a small knife from his already-healing leg. It didn't the matter if that human was like Father; he would make her pay for this wound.

"What do you think you're doing, Mustang?" Olivia Armstrong snapped. "Are you the cause of this?" She gestured at the dead soldiers around her.

He smirked and crossed his arms, meeting her glare equally with one of his own. "Of what?" he questioned sarcastically.

The human's eyes narrowed. "I believed I asked you a question, _Colonel _Mustang."

"_I believe _you have mistaken me for someone else," he replied just as quickly.

There was a moment of silence. He watched warily as the human rubbed her hand on the handle of the sword. "Do not joke with me, Mustang. If you are not Roy Mustang, then who might you be?"

"My name is Pride."

"Pride...?"

"Brigadier General!" The human he had failed to kill was now looking at the woman apprehensively. "It's not the Colonel...he's...he's..."

"Who is he? Speak up!"

"He's..." The boy's eyes held so much sorrow. "He's..."

He didn't know why, but he hated seeing that human like this. "I told you before, human," he addressed the woman. "I am Pride, the first homunculous."

"Homunculous?" The human looked alert now, her hands tightening around her sword.

"That's right," he replied, the smirk still clear upon his face. "I happen to be the first one too."

She glared at him for awhile longer, hands still resting on her weapon.

"Brigadier General!" Several humans burst through the door behind her, all of them carrying huge weapons. "What seems to be the problem?"

The human turned to address a particular huge man with an automail arm besides her. "It looks like a certain Colonel Roy Mustang has paid us an unpleasant visit, Buccaneer," she said.

"Roy...Mustang? The Flame Alchemist?" The man looked stunned at this.

He sighed. He was beginning to hate being recognized as someone else. With a quick movement, he sent one of shadows darting forward at the annoying humans.

"Watch out, Buccaneer!" The woman quickly flicked her sword upwards, parrying his blow with her blade. The other humans scrambled away from him. He watched calmly as they set up human weapons in a perimeter around him.

"Unfortunately, humans weapons do not work against me." He withdrew his shadow from the human's sword and sent it flying at her again. She quickly sidestepped the move, but one tendril of his shadow stabbed through her foot, making her hiss in pain.

Taking advantage of her lowered guard, he formed another shadow behind him. It flew at the human, its side sharp and dangerous. Just as he thought he had successfully pierced the human clean through, a familiar figure flashed in front of the woman, blocking his move forcefully.

"Are you alright, Brigadier General?" Edward gasped, straining with the effort from keeping Pride's shadow away from Olivia.

The Armstrong stood up slowly, raising her sword yet again. "Don't be a fool, Alchemist. A weak blow like that won't put me down."

"But your foot-" Edward gazed at the bloody puddle around Olivia's foot with concern.

"Move away, kid." He hissed in displeasure, interrupting the humans' worthless conversation. His chance of killing a human had been ruined again. "Do not interfere with me."

The boy turned, his attention shifted upon him. His eyes meet Pride's red eyes and they glared at one another equally, each trying to make the other look away.

However, it was Pride who looked away first, tearing his eyes from the human's sorrowful ones. He hated with a fiery passion at how the human looked at him; it was almost as if he was pitying him. And yet...he couldn't bring himself to kill that human.

"Tsk." He called back his shadows and turned away from the humans. He'd kill them some other day; he was already late. Father would be displeased if he didn't complete the Bloody Mark today.

"Where do you think you're going?" snapped the female human as he took a step towards the exit.

He paused, but only momentarily. "I have business to attend to. This isn't over though; next time I _will _make sure all of you have become part of my soul."

The human boy made a strained noise, his eyes still fixated upon Pride.

The homuculous quickly exited the the fort; he was glad to get away from the human boy. The kid had messed him inside and now he couldn't seem to get a good control on his emotions. It wasn't fair: why did that human affect him so much?

* * *

Vato Falman pulled his jacket tighter around him as he hurried down the stairs to the lower section of Briggs. Ever since he had been transferred to this cold hell, he'd been trying to adjust to the weather, but his body refused to cooperate with him.

He hoped he could talk something out with the Colonel the next time he met him. The weather was killer.

Right now, he had to deliver a new weapon to the Brigadier and the soldiers nearby him had told him that Olivia was in the lower part of the Fort. Falman began dashing down the stairs, two at a time.

He burst onto the scene only to have a sword point aimed towards his neck. Falman dropped his heavy package, throwing up his hands in fright. "It's Falman!"

Olivia grunted, lowering her sword. "Do you have what I asked for?"

Falman bent to pick up the package, but his eyes caught onto the sight of his General's bleeding foot. "Brigadier General! What happened to your foot?" It was then that he noticed the other people in the room: Buccaneer was frowning with deep concern, Al was unconscious by the wall, and Edward was bleeding from several cuts all over his body. The Alchemist looked badly shaken and it seemed that the sight of Falman did nothing to help him.

"2nd Lieutenant Falman..." Edward gasped.

"Hush!" Olivia rapped the boy smartly on the head. She stood up straight, surveying the people around her with a stern eye. "Everyone that was here - do not speak one word of what happened here. Understand?"

The soldiers grunted while Ed lowered his head sadly.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "I said, **__****do you understand**?"

"Y-yes, Brigadier General," the soldiers replied quickly. Buccaneer saluted his General.

Edward still refused to say anything, his face covered by his messy hair.

Olivia sighed heavily and turned to a confused Falman. "Hurry back to your post, Falman. We have a mess to clean up here."

"But-"

"I said NOW."

Falman swallowed nervously, and began running up the stairs again. If there was one thing he had learned from this wretched place, it was never to disobey the Brigadier General when she was this angry. Nothing good came out of it.

But even so, he puzzled over the scene he had walked in upon. He hadn't been chosen by Roy Mustang for nothing; the Colonel respected his memory skills. His brain was quick and he rarely forgot anything. He was also fast in piecing things together when it came to certain situations.

Falman arrived at his post above the Fort, clutching his small rifle gun as he trained his eyes on the Drachman army below. Though he was looking directly at the army, his mind was quickly working out possible situations that had happened underground.

Firstly, the Brigadier General had been wounded badly in her left leg. He knew that Olivia was an excellent sword fighter and there were very few things that could harm her, especially in her leg. The enemy would have to be very strong and swift to be able to injure the Brigadier General.

Secondly, Edward was badly shaken up. From the short time Falman had known the Alchemist, there was only several things that could possible rile the Alchemist so much. His brother, that childhood friend of his, and possibly, the Colonel himself. Even though the Colonel and Edward didn't get along very well, they shared mutual goals and respected one another. And especially after that Rose incident...

But he ruled the Colonel out. He was busy in central and couldn't have possibly come here.

Falman also remembered seeing Al unconscious in a corner...maybe Edward was shocked about that? He shook his head in frustration. If that was the case, then what would the Brigadier General need to hide?

A gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance, distracting him from his deep thoughts. He would think about this later...for now, he needed to help Briggs defend against the Drachmans.

As multiple soldiers ran Briggs soldiers ran past him, Falman loaded his rifle and followed them onto the battlefield.

* * *

Kimblee had a distinctive smirk on his face as he watched Pride approach him. "So you're Pride?" the Crimson Alchemist questioned, the amusement in his tone clear.

"What of it?" The homunculous narrowed his eyes. He'd barely met the human for more than a few minutes, he already disliked his new partner. Solf J. Kimblee was a maniac and acted much more powerful than he actually was. It was only because of the Philosopher's Stone that Envy had given him. Otherwise, the fool wouldn't be able to even a single house.

Kimblee chuckled lightly. "Nothing of it, Pride," he said. "I've told the Drachmans to advance already."

"Good. I eliminated about most of the lower defense Briggs had set up so there will be quite a bloodshed."

Kimblee laughed again. "Enjoying yourself?"

Pride glared at him. "I certainly can't enjoy anything when you're around," he said icily.

"Why, that's awfully rude of you," Kimblee replied, lacing his tone with mockery. "And I was about to tell you about your new assignment."

"Hmph." Pride waited for Kimblee to continue.

The Crimson Alchemist smirked. "We're supposed to catch Scar, the runaway Ishvalan," he explained. "I suppose you can handle him yourself?"

"Are you throwing your responsibilities on me?" Pride snapped testily.

"Oh? You can't defeat him by yourself, Pride? I didn't know you were so weak inside."

The homuculous felt a distinctive flare of anger within him and it took almost all his effort to keep his shadow from stabbing the infuriating man through his weak body. "Know your place, human," he cautioned as he began walking away.

"Know my place?" Kimblee frowned, crossing his arms as he did so. "And who are you calling human, Pride? You have no right to look down on us since you were once one yourself."

At this, the homunculous stopped his tracks, his hands balled in a fist and shaking with obvious anger. He almost stabbed the Crimson Alchemist clean through, but he sensed a certain amount of truth in Kimblee's words. Instead, he calmed himself, turning his anger to hatred.

"I was never human, Kimblee," he said coldly as he disappeared over the snowy hill.

Kimblee's laughter followed him all the way down the down the path.

* * *

"Lieutenant Haweye! Lieutenant!" Breda grunted in pain as he tried reaching a hand through his cage towards Hawkeye.

"First Lieutenant Hawkeye!" he whispered desperately again. However, she did not stir. Breda grimaced, giving up and leaning uncomfortably back onto the wall of his cage. He'd been trying to count how long they'd been stuck in these cages by marking the hours on the ground as they went by. He'd gotten to about the twentieth tally until he lost track. There were too many screams and roars from the inhuman things around them and they distracted him greatly.

Several times, he had tried craning his neck to get a better look at his surroundings, but the cage hardly allowed any space for movement. He was sure those things screaming things were Chimeras. That's what his Colonel had called those monstrous things they had been fighting until he was taken by the Fuhrer.

There was a groan besides him and he instantly felt relieved as Hawkeye opened her eyes groggily. She was still alive and seemed to be alright. "Second Lieutenant Breda...?" she mumbled, trying to focus her gaze on him. "...How long was I out?"

Breda glanced at his tally marks on the ground. "About...twenty hours, I suppose."

She grunted in reply, and struggled to sit up in her cage. "Here's the problem now..." she said as she placed one hand on the wall behind her to steady herself. "How do we escape?"

Breda took another look around the place. "Fat chance," he said. "Firstly, we're in cages, secondly, this place is most likely guarded and locked."

Hawkeye sighed heavily. "How about keeping us alive? Wouldn't they have to bring food?"

"Food...?" Breda pondered the possibility. "Oh, right...we could knock them out and make a dash for it."

Hawkeye laughed weakly, resting her head onto the cage bars. "It's an old and overused tactic, so I doubt it would work. But I do wonder what they plan on doing with two lowly humans."

"It sounds grim, but keeping us alive really has no use for them," Breda replied.

The instant he finished speaking, a laugh echoed around the place as a familiar figure approached them. "That's right," Envy said, pausing in front of their cages. He placed his hands onto his hips, grinning sardonically. "We really have no use keeping you _lowly humans _alive. However, Father has granted you another privilege."

He signaled behind him and two Chimeras appeared, each holding ropes and chains. Envy walked up to Breda's cage, taking out a key and unlocking it. The Chimeras grabbed Breda on each of his shoulder, securing him tightly with the ropes as they dragged him out.

"Breda!" Hawkeye sounded worried. "Second Lieutenant-!" Somehow finding the strength, she shook her cage violently by its bars as she glared at Envy hatefully. "Where are you filthy homunculous taking him?" she demanded. "First you do away with the Colonel and then...why can't you just stop there?"

Envy scoffed, casting an unconcerned eye towards Riza. "Filthy? Who are you calling filthy? It's you humans who pollute our world. Honestly - human and their spiteful ways." He laughed and disappeared up the stairs, motioning the Chimeras to follow

Too weak to even resist, Breda could only look hopefully at Hawkeye as he was dragged painfully across the ground. Hawkeye shook her head desperately, clearly telling him to resist. But beyond that, they both knew that resisting had no point to it anymore.

"Now, now, bring the human this way." Envy sounded excited; the way he had sounded when he had played with them during the few days they had been captured.

Breda felt himself being tied onto some sort of bed. Chains were bound around his entire body, restraining even his arms and feet. Envy's face hovered into his field of vision, peering down upon him with a sardonic grin on his face.

"Let me tell you what, human. You get to choose."

Breda frowned. "Choose what?" he asked, his voice muffled by the chains around him.

"Do you want to be..." Envy seemed to be holding up small pieces of furry objects. "Do you want to be a...zebra? Or donkey?" He laughed, bringing the fur up close to Breda. "Or...how about a fox?"

Breda's eyes widened. "...no way..."

"Was that a yes?" Envy cackled, prancing out of Breda's field of vision towards a desk in the room. "Alright then, fox it is!"

Nothing happened for awhile, but then a sharp needle pierced him in the side. Excruciating pain tore through his body, making him twist and turn in agony, but the chains held tight. He almost screamed out loud with pain, but kept his teeth firmly bit on his lip to restrain him from doing so.

The pain ended almost as fast as it had started. As his vision began to clear again, he saw Envy peering over him. "Wasn't that fun?" Envy questioned sarcastically.

Breda glared at the homunculous and spit the blood in his mouth into his face.

Envy hissed in disgust, wiping away the red specks on his face with hand. "How dare you spit on me, human," he spat. "May this next one provide you with even more enjoyment."

Once again, the needle was inserted within him, but the pain didn't start instantaneously. Breda lay shaking on his bed, waiting for the agony to start once more. Suddenly, a huge crack sounded across the room, followed by dozens of smaller sounding cracks. Roy Mustang's Second Lieutenant did his best to hold back his screams, but as soon as the pain began to reach his chest, he could stand it no longer.

It felt like every single one of his bones was breaking into a million little pieces within his body, starting from his feet and working its way up. As he screamed in pain, he dimly saw Envy's face hovering above his, a cruel grin upon the homunculous' face.

"That's right..." Envy said. "...THAT'S RIGHT! Suffer, human, suffer! I want to hear your screams! Louder and louder!" He laughed loudly and stabbed another needle into Breda, allowing him no time to recuperate.

He barely even had the energy to scream anymore; his entire vision was clouded with a hazy red of pain. His body continued to twist on its own, and along with his bones, he also felt his muscles constricting within him.

_"Wonderful...simply wonderful!" _

As the pain died away, so did his vision. The last thing he saw was a grinning Envy...then all was dark.

* * *

"The battle has stopped on either side...for now." Olivia addressed a grim-looking counsel as she took her place in front of the desk. On either side of her sat Al and Ed, and directly facing her was Buccaneer. "The bigger issue here is..."

She fell silent and cast a dangerous glare at Edward and Alphonse. Edward grimaced visibly and turned away. Alphonse said nothing as the red orbs in that represented his eyes faded.

"Edward Elric. We have no time for feelings," Olivia snapped harshly. "I want you to tell me about Mustang...NOW."

Edward's body shook for several moments before he slammed his right hand onto the table loudly. "He was sent to patrol the City Sewers and he was caught!" he gasped, his sentence rushing out in a disorganized jumble of words. "And the Fuhrer did it...and then...they made into a homunculous! No! Father did...was that his name? I...I don't know!"

Olivia's gaze hardened. "The Fuhrer did it?"

Edward nodded. "King Bradley. He's...a homunculous."

Olivia's hand came down hardly on the wooden table. "Impossible. Our Fuhrer-"

"No...no...you have to believe me..." Both of Edward's hands were curled into fists before him, shaking visibly with anger and sorrow. "He doesn't know who he is anymore...they...they turned him into a killing machine!"

Olivia stood up, knocking her chair into the wall behind her. She raised a hand, punching the Alchemist hardly and sending him crashing painfully onto the other side of the room.

"Brother!" Alphonse gasped.

"Now is not the time for emotions!" Olivia roared. "We have more important issues at hand! Get a hold of yourself, Alchemist! I want the whole story - now. No stuttering."

Edward took a shaky breath, ignoring a bleeding cut on his side. "I...I..."

He was interrupted as the door flew open and a disheveled looking Falman tumbled in. "Brigadier General! Was...was my Colonel here earlier?"

Olivia hissed, stabbing her sword into the ground. "I'd thought you put it together sometime, Falman."

However, Mustang's formal Lieutenant was focused on Edward. "What about Breda?" he asked, almost desperately. "What about First Lieutenant?"

Edward said nothing for awhile, laying motionless by the wall. "I believe...that they're dead."

* * *

**~KuroRoy  
**


End file.
